A little more cutting. I had to cut a recess into the bungee wells for the new back piece to go (The bottom of the bungee wells will be removed later). This will allow it to equal the level of the existing floor and create a smooth transition.

I used my heat gun to bend the piece into a 90 degree angle. Clamped it in place and hosed it down with cold water.

The result.

Spent a lot of time getting it just right.

Ready for the back piece.

Nice fit. Ready to be welded.

Last edited by ckossuth on Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:53 am, edited 2 times in total.

Sanded and smoothed. I used the adjustable low heat setting on my heat gun to rewarm the area after sanding. As the material heats up, any imperfections in the sanding glaze over and blend into the rest of the piece. This gives it a near factory finish.

Thanks for all of the kind comments and encouragement. After I work around the scupper holes and fill weld them this should be a done deal!

Last edited by ckossuth on Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:59 am, edited 2 times in total.

The new hatch is supposed to arrive tomorrow (providing we don't get iced in over the next 24 hours). The Hobie hatch, with its two piece frame looks like it's built like a tank. This should only help tie in all four sides of the hole opening once it's gooped and screwed into place. If I feel the floor needs more support I'll modify it accordingly.

Once again, thanks for the support. I love being part of this community!

If all of this works and holds up you need to look at going into business!!! That's some serious mod work and makes it look like ANYTHING is capable with a plastic welder and "a little bit" of skills!!

Looks fantastic so far and I can't wait to see the next installment. I'd love to have a flat floor in my 2012 PA14 but there's no way I would ever try this one personally!!

This part took some time. I filler welded both scuppers. This gave back some strength and gave the inside lip of the hatch a strong vertical spot to sit.

I had to cut the bottom hatch flange into two seperate pieces. This could not be avoided due to the scuppers. After everything is gooped and through bolted with fender washers it will be very strong. Check out how beefy this part is built.

Almost time!

Last edited by ckossuth on Fri Feb 22, 2013 1:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.

After recutting the pads. I cleaned the floor with alcohol. I used my heat gun to warm up the area. This really helps the adhesive re adhere.

I cut a piece of the rubber workout mat into a rectangle and made cuts at all four corners so when you fold it up it's basically a flexible box. It's good size. It follows the inside path of the front 6 scuppers. I put this in the hold so it keeps everything in place. Right now I have 5 plano boxes and other misc. gear. It will hold more.

I've got plenty of material left just in case I pull a Titanic and hit an iceberg!

I've really enjoyed doing this project. I hope you guys enjoyed it too. The floor of my PA is stronger now than originally. It's gonna be great!

A little tip on welding plastic. I prefer this method but whatever method you choose, the weld MUST penetrate the entire thickness of the material in order to create a durable weld. You can make a weld look pretty on the surface, but if it doesn't go all the way through you can't achieve maximum strength. After you run a weld feel the underside. If it's smooth, you have not gone deep enough. You should feel some slight distortion where the plastic melted all the way through. Practice on scrap pieces (say a 5 gallon bucket) to get the feel for it. Then when you weld an area where you can't reach the backside you'll know it's good. Let your heat source do the work for you. Don't force it. Good Luck!

To everyone who said this was impossible, thanks for the challenge!

Carl

Last edited by ckossuth on Sun Feb 24, 2013 12:12 pm, edited 6 times in total.